Bedding support



March 14, 1961 R. E. HEBBERD 2,974,328

l BEDDING SUPPORT Filed Jan. 21, 1959 INVENTOR. ROBERT E. EBBERD BY Mwm A T TORNEY United States APatent G Y BEDDING SUPPRT Robert E. Hebberd, 76 N. Gaston Ave., Somerville, NJ.

Filed Jan. 21, 1959, Ser. No. 788,090

2 Claims. (Cl. 5`319) My invention relates generally to bedding supports and specifically to a self-supporting, collapsible bedding support.

Bedding supports are extremely useful for patients suffering from a wide variety of diseases and injuries such as poliomyelitis, arthritis, rheumatic heart, spine injuries, burns, limb fractures, draining wounds, and the like wherein the bedding must be held away from the patients body both for protection and comfort. Moreover, many persons who do not suifer from any particular disease or injury prefer to hold bedding away from the body, particularly the feet and legs, merely for comfort.

Therefore, it is among the objects and advantages of my invention to provide a bedding support which will hold bed clothing away from any desired part of the body.

Another object of my invention is to provide a bedding support which is self-supporting and needs no attachments to the bed frame, inner spring, or mattress.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a bedding support which is made to collapse into a flat, compact, easily stored bundle.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a bedding support which is portable so that it can provide support for bedding at any desired part of the body.

A further object of my invention is to provide a bedding support which is both collapsible and self-supporting.

Yet a further object of my invention is to provide a bedding support which may be easily disassembled to clean, sterilize, or replace parts;

Still another object of my invention is to provide a bedding support of uniquely simple construction employing inexpensive materials.

These objects and advantages as well as other objects and advantages may be achieved by my invention, one embodiment of which is illustrated in the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective showing my bedding support.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of an arcuate support member taken at the base web.

Figure 3 is a bottom view of a corner of the web beneath an `arcuate support member.

Figure 4 is a view in perspective showing my bedding support in position on a bed.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, my bedding support comprises a foldable base web 11 which is generally rectangular in shape, the longest dimension being slightly shorter than lthe width of the bed on which it is to be used. An arcuate support member `12 is secured to the corners .13, 13 of the web 11 across its long dimension. Similarly, a second arcuate support member 14 is secured to corners 15, 15 of the web 11. Arcuate support members 12 and 14 are tubular and may be fabricated of some flexible and resilient material such as rubber, plastic, or some suitable metal. When secured to the web 1l, the arcuate support members 12 and 14 are under bending tension or flexed and normally tend to maintain corners 13, 13, and 15, 15 `of the web 11 4ice stretched apart. The arcuate support members 12 and i with plugs 19. The corners 13, 13 and 15, 15 of the web 11 are folded over to dorm an underlying layer 20. A

triangular support layer 21 is provided under each corner 13, 13, 15, 15 and is secured to the web 1r1 by stitches 22. The folded over `layer 20 at each corner of the web 11, and the underlying support layer 21 provide a tough body through which a screw 23 passes into the plug 19 to secure the web 1i1 to thearcuate support members 12 and 14. An eyelet or washer 24 is provided between the bead 25 of the screw and the underlying support layer 21 to prevent tearing of the support layer 21 and the web 11.

The web 11 maybe made of any tough fabric or other exible material. 'Ilhe arcuate support members 12 and 14 may be fabricated of any flexible and resilient mateiral. In the drawings I have shown them to be tubular, but they may be solid as well.

In operation, the ends 17 and 18 and 17 and 18 of the arcuate support members 12 and 14 are separated so that the web 11 is fully unfolded to form a rectangular base. The web 11 remains extended along i-ts longer dimension by reason of the normal urging of the bent or flexed arcuate members 12 and 14. The collar 16 holds the arcuate support members 12, 14 against each other at their apex to provide mutual support and, at the same time, permits rotation of the support members to extend the web 11. Thus, the support members 12, 14 and the web 11 form a self-supporting bedding support which is independent of any attachment to the frame of the bed, the inner spring, or the mattress.

The bedding support may be placed at yany point on the bed where it is desirable to hold the bedding -away from the body. Of course, two or more of my bedding supports may be used at once to keep as much of the bedding away from the body as is desired. If it is undesirable to move the patient at all, the ends of the arcuate support members at one side of the web 11 can be detachably secured to the web by any one of a number of commonly employed clips or other such devices. Although these `detachable clips are not explicitly shown in the drawings, they and their equivalents are considered as within the scope of my invention.

When the bedding support is not in use, the arcuate support members 12 and 14 may be pivoted in the collarl 16 to lie adjacent to each other. The web folds upwardly between the arcuate support members. Thus, the bedding support forms a compact bundle which may be easily stored. In addition, should the web become soiled, it may be easily removed fromA the arcuate support members and cleaned or replaced.

The foregoing description is merely intended to illustrate an embodiment of the invention. The component parts have been shown Iand described. They each may have substitutes which may perform a substantially similar function; such substitutes may be known as proper substitutes for the said components and may have actually been known or invented before the present invention; those substitutes are contemplated as being within the scope of the appended claims, although they are not specifically catalogued herein. l

I claim:

1. A bedding support comprising:

a continuous, generally rectangular, -foldable web defining a base,

a first arcuate support member attached at its ends to corners of the web on one side thereof,

a rasees?, arcuate Support member attached at its, ends to corners of the web on the other side thereof,

the rst and second support members pivotally attached together intermediate their ends whereby they, may pivot to engage each father, alena their entire length and to separatetheir respective ends thereby extending the web to forin a self-supporting base.

2. A bedding support comprising:

a continuous, generally rectangular, `foldable web dening a base,

a first resilient, arcuate support member attached at its opposite ends to corners of the web on one side thereof and normallyurging said corners apart,

a second, resilient, arcuate support member attached v at its opposite ends to corners of the web on the other side thereof and normally urging said corners apart,

a collar pivotally attaching the rst and second arcuate 4 support members together at their respective apexes whereby they may pivot to engage each other along their entire length and to separate their respective ends thereby extending the -web to form a self-supporting base.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

